BOX SCORE

SELINSGROVE – For the second-straight game, Wilkes University shot under 40 percent which proved to be its demise as Susquehanna took a 65-53 win, handing the Colonels their second-straight loss. 

 

Wilkes shot just 25 percent in the first half and 32.8 percent for the game, hitting 19-of-58 field goals. The woes would not stop there as the Colonels hit just 13-of-29 free throws for a season-low 44.8 percent. While Wilkes had trouble from the charity stripe, Susquehanna missed just three freebies, hitting 15-of-18 from the line as well as 4-of-9 from beyond the three-point line. 

 

The Crusaders' Rob Cosgrove was on fire, hitting 8-of-10 shots from the field for a team-high 16 points, while Brian Kerwin reached double-figures as well with 11. For the third-straight game, Chris DeRojas (Kingston, Pa./Bishop O'Reilly) led the Colonels in scoring with 19 points, while Tom Kresge (Brodheadsville, Pa./Pleasant Valley) had 12. All but three of the Wilkes players that saw action scored at least one point and all but two pulled down one rebound or more. 

 

Wilkes dominated the glass, pulling down 44 boards, including 22 offensive and 22 defensive. Kendall Hinze (Lewisberry, Pa./Red Land) pulled down a game-high 11 boards, while Anthony Gabriel (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity) added 10. 

 

The Colonels were never able to dig themselves out of a hole, starting the game scoreless for the first 6:11 before DeRojas put Wilkes on the board with a jumper. By that time, the damage was done as Susquehanna held an 11-point advantage (13-2). 

 

DeRojas scored the team's first seven points and had 14 of the team's 22 points in the first half. 

 

The Colonels were able to pull within six (20-14) with 8:39 to go in the first after a DeRojas layup, but they would not score again until nearly three minutes later when DeRojas would hit an 18-footer. 

 

Susquehanna took a 35-22 lead into the half after shooting 46.2 percent from the field and just over 57 percent from three-point range. 

 

The second half saw the Colonels pull within seven numerous times, the last coming with 3:15 to go on a Michael Donatoni (Malvern, Pa./Great Valley) layup, but Wilkes would score just five points the rest of the way. 

 

The loss evens the Colonels' record to 2-2 on the year and will open Freedom Conference play on Wednesday when they travel down the road to face King's at 8 p.m.